Aerosol-generating article having aerosol-generating substrate with dual plugs

Abstract

A heated aerosol-generating article may include a rod of aerosol-generating substrate including: a first plug of homogenized tobacco material; and a second plug of homogenized tobacco material. The first plug and the second plug may be coaxially aligned. The first plug may be provided downstream of the second plug. The first plug and the second plug may differ from each other in at least one property of the homogenized tobacco material such that upon heating of the aerosol-generating substrate, the first plug releases aerosol after a shorter time than the second plug.

1 .- 17 . (canceled) 
     
     
         18 . A heatable aerosol-generating article comprising a rod of aerosol-generating substrate, the rod of aerosol-generating substrate comprising:
 a first plug of homogenized tobacco material comprising a first aerosol former; and   a second plug of homogenized tobacco material comprising a second aerosol former,   wherein the first plug and the second plug are coaxially aligned in an abutting end-to-end relationship, the first plug being disposed downstream of the second plug,   wherein the first plug and the second plug differ from each other in at least one of density and aerosol former composition, and   wherein the first plug is configured to have a lower activation temperature than the second plug   
     
     
         19 . The article of  claim 18 , wherein the second plug has a density that is greater than a density of the first plug. 
     
     
         20 . The article of  claim 19 , wherein the density of the second plug is at least 10 percent higher than the density of the first plug. 
     
     
         21 . The article of  claim 19 , wherein the density of the second plug is at least 0.1 mg/mm 3  higher than the density of the first plug. 
     
     
         22 . The article of  claim 19 , wherein the density of the second plug is in a range of from 0.65 to 0.85 mg/mm 3 , and
 wherein the density of the first plug is in a range of from 0.45 to 0.65 mg/mm 3 .   
     
     
         23 . The article of  claim 18 , wherein the second plug has a higher resistance-to-draw than that of the first plug. 
     
     
         24 . The article of  claim 18 , wherein the aerosol former composition in the first plug is different than the aerosol former composition in the second plug. 
     
     
         25 . The article of  claim 24 , wherein the first aerosol former and the second aerosol former comprise glycerol, and
 wherein the second plug comprises at least 2 wt. % more glycerol than the first plug, on a dry weight basis.   
     
     
         26 . The article of  claim 24 , wherein at least the first aerosol former further comprises propylene glycol, and
 wherein the first plug comprises at least 2 wt. % more propylene glycol than the second plug, on a dry weight basis.   
     
     
         27 . The article of  claim 25 , wherein, on a dry weight basis,
 the second plug comprises over 15 wt. % glycerol and 4 wt. % or less of propylene glycol, and   the first plug comprises 15 wt. % or less of glycerol and at least 5 wt. % propylene glycol.   
     
     
         28 . The article of  claim 27 , wherein, on a dry weight basis,
 the second plug comprises glycerol in a range of from 17 to 25 wt. % and propylene glycol in a range of from 0 to 4 wt. %, and   the first plug comprises glycerol 5 to 15 wt. % and propylene glycol in a range of from 5 to 15 wt. %.   
     
     
         29 . The article of  claim 24 , wherein the first and second plugs respectively comprise the first and second aerosol former in a range of from 15 and 25 wt. % on a dry weight basis. 
     
     
         30 . The article of  claim 18 , wherein at least one of the first and second plugs is formed from one or more sheets of homogenous tobacco material. 
     
     
         31 . An aerosol-generating system, comprising:
 the aerosol-generating article of  claim 18 ; and   an aerosol-generating device configured to receive the aerosol-generating article, the aerosol-generating device comprising a heater element configured to heat both the first plug and the second plug.   
     
     
         32 . The aerosol-generating system of  claim 31 , wherein the heater element is a heater blade configured to be inserted into the first plug and the second plug. 
     
     
         33 . A method of at least partially producing a rod of aerosol-generating substrate configured for the aerosol-generating article of  claim 18 , the method comprising:
 combining a first plug and the second plug, such that the first plug and the second plug are coaxially aligned in an abutting end-to-end relationship and such that the first plug is disposed downstream of the second plug, to form a combined plug; and   wrapping the combined plug to form the rod of aerosol-generating substrate.   
     
     
         34 . A rod configured for an aerosol-generating substrate in an aerosol-generating article, the rod comprising:
 a first plug of homogenized tobacco material comprising a first aerosol former; and   a second plug of homogenized tobacco material comprising a second aerosol former,   wherein the first plug and the second plug are coaxially aligned in an abutting end-to-end relationship, the first plug being disposed downstream of the second plug,   wherein the first plug and the second plug differ from each other in at least one of density and aerosol former composition, and   wherein the first plug is configured to have a lower activation temperature than the second plug.